Rocket Launch Is Pivotal Point for Kim

By

Evan Ramstad in Seoul and

Jay Solomon in Washington

Updated Dec. 9, 2012 5:51 a.m. ET

Just eight months after launching a rocket that stayed in the air for only 80 seconds, North Korea's plan to shoot another is shaping up as tool for legitimizing its new dictator as much as testing its military capability.

North Korea in several ways is treating the launch differently than the one that failed in April, most noticeably by not telling its own people about it ahead of time. Also unlike then, North Korea hasn't invited...